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Government and politics of the New England Republic
The national government of the New England Republic, still commonly referred to incorrectly as the federal government or simply Philadelphia is the central government of the New England Republic. As opposed to mainstream governments being merely a collection of different branches and departments, the government of New England is a parent organization in itself, led by the Prime Minister, who selects all his ministers with advice from the President. The collection of the ministers, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister is known as the Cabinet, which makes out the executive government. The Parliament makes out the legislative branch of the government and is officially the most powerful organ of government. The Parliament Act establishes the body and its sovereignty, meaning the Parliament is not limited to which laws it may pass, with the exception of changing term duration and limiting the powers of their successors. All executive and judicial branch employees are accountable and can be impeached by the Parliament. There exists two houses, namely the lower House of Delegates and the upper House of Senate. The House of Delegates is more powerful however serve short two-year terms, while weaker House of Senate serves for life. The Court system is officially the judicial branch of government, and is accepted to be the weakest. The presidentially appointed Chief Judge (with advice from the House of Delegates) leads the court system and is the leader of the judicial branch. The courts are responsible for resolving civil disputes in terms of law and handing down judgement and sentencing in criminal cases. The courts have little power of oversight within the government as a whole, and cannot like other countries' courts declare a piece of national legislation void. Locations Ministerial headquarters and agency offices are located across the Philadelphia metropolitan area in the Province of Pennsylvania. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and President's offices are located in the September Executive Office Building. SEOB The September Executive Office Building is viewed as the executive government's headquarters, as it houses the offices of the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister as well as the various meeting rooms the Cabinet usually convenes in. Originally named the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building then the Perelman Building, it was part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art prior to 2005, and was re-renovated along with the Museum of Art to house the government. While the Museum of Art went to Parliament, the Perelman Building became the SEOB (ess-ee-oh-bee), named in memory of the lives lost during the US government's September 11 false flag operations across the former United States. In addition to housing the three leadership posts of the executive government, it also houses smaller cabinet ministries and independent government agencies. The Ministry of Culture and Recreation, for example, is headquartered in the SEOB. Support offices to the leadership posts are also located throughout the building. Parliament Building The Parliament Building, formerly the main building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was re-renovated in 2005 to house the Philadelphia Congress while the Second American Civil War was happening. After the war ended, the building continued to serve its purpose, however this time for the newly created Parliament. The Museum of Art was compensated and moved to a location a few blocks away. Both houses of Parliament including parliamentary leadership offices are located in the building. Franklin Palace of Justice The Franklin Palace of Justice, formerly housing the Franklin Institute (named in honor of Benjamin Franklin), is the headquarters of the Supreme Court of Appeals as well as the entire judicial system. The Chief Judge and all other judges on the SCA panel's offices are located in the building. It is located on Capitol Park, along with the headquarters of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs and the Ministry of International Affairs. Executive branch *President of the New England Republic (ceremonial post) - Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force and chief diplomat of the Republic. *Prime Minister of the New England Republic - Head of government **Deputy Prime Minister of the New England Republic *Ministry of the Treasury **Office of the Minister of the Treasury **Deparment of Revenue and Tax *Ministry of Safety and Constitutional Development **Office of the Attorney General **Office of the Public Prosecutor **Office of the Public Defender *Ministry of Defense **Office of the Minister of Defense **New England Defense Force ***NER Army ***NER Air Force ***NER Coast Guard *Ministry of Domestic Affairs **Office of the Minister of Domesticities **Department of Health **Department of Labor **Department of Education **Department of Agriculture and the Environment **Department of Transportation *Ministry of International Affairs **Office of the Minister of State *Ministry of Culture and Recreation **Office of the Minister of Culture **Broadcasting Corporation of New England **Department of the National Archives **Sport Board **Tourism Board *Independent agencies: **Border and Customs Enforcement Agency **Civilian Government Oversight Committee **Human Rights Commission **Directorate of Intelligence Services Parliament The bicameral Parliament of New England is by far and large the most powerful body within the government and is sovereign per the Parliament Act. Being sovereign, Parliament can essentially pass any law of any kind, which, per the Parliament Act, needs only a normal majority vote from both the House of Delegates (the lower house) and the House of Senate (the upper house). The President can be regarded as a third component of the legislature, as he has the power to vote (at his discretion) in legislation and is a member of the House of Senate for life after retiring from the presidency. Delegates are elected every two years and senators are selected by the current president with advice from the House of Delegates to serve for life. Judiciary The judiciary is collectively known as the Courts of the New England Republic, and play little role in the government's system of checks and balances. The Chief Judge leads the entire system and is directly involved with the Supreme Court of Appeals, which is the country's highest court. The hierarchy of the courts is as follows: *'Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA)' - located in Philadelphia *'Superior Court' - one per province *'Regional Court' - several per province, minimum one per county or independent city *'District Court' - several per province, minimum one per town or city The courts have no authority to strike down laws passed by the sovereign Parliament, except in the rare cases of Parliament not following the correct procedure when passing said laws. All legislation binds the courts absolutely. Elections The New England Republic has somewhat of a unique electoral system. The independent organization, the Electoral Council (as per the Parliament Act), monitors and ensures free and fair elections on both provincial and national levels. The following voting policy is followed within the NER: *Persons convicted of one or more crimes of a wide range have zero votes (0) to their name (Criminal Voting Act) *All persons aged 18 and above are automatically able to vote and follow the normal one man one vote (1) principle. (Parliament Act) *Taxpayers have two votes (2) to their name. (Voting Rights Act) *Persons with a degree, diploma or certificate in a wide range of fields has four votes (4) to their name. (Voting Rights Act) *Every employer with over 50 and under 100 employees has six votes (6) to their name. (Employers' Benefits Act) *Every employer with over 100 employees has eleven votes (11) to their name. (Employers' Benefits Act) *Every person who has served the New England Republic in a war for more than one year in total has twelve votes (12) to their name. (Voting Rights Act) Persons may use all their votes for one candidate or may disperse them among a variety of candidates - however they choose. On a national level, presidential elections are held once every eight years, and parliamentary elections are held once every two years for the House of Delegates (senators serve for life). Provincial elections usually consist of voting for mayors and city councils. Provincial governors are appointed by the President on advice from the House of Delegates, and provincial legislatures are elected once every four years by the residents of that province. See also *Outline of the New England Republic *New England Republic category:New England (FW)